


Like Loving The Stars

by TheWholesomeCat



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, BBC, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dorks in Love, Drama & Romance, Eleventh Doctor Era, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Idiots in Love, Interspecies Romance, Kissing, Minor Character Death, Not Beta Read, On Hold, Outer Space, Parallel Universes, Planets, Platonic Kissing, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Spaceships, Stars, Time Travel, Time machine, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, space adventures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-31 02:31:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15109961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWholesomeCat/pseuds/TheWholesomeCat
Summary: ON HOLD!They say loving the Doctor is like loving the stars themselves. But what if the Doctor starts to love someone like that?The Doctor discovered that he's in love with his best friend Clara Oswald. But past experiences make him wary of these feelings and out of fear that it could put Clara in danger the Doctor hides his feelings from her - and even tries to hide them from himself. But a single trip to the Ancient Greeks shall change eveything when they discover an evil creature that might endanger the whole universe.This story takes place between S07E11 "The Crimson Horror" and S07E12 "Nightmare in Silver"Written by a non native English speaker





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is entirely fanfiction. I am doing this for fun and I am not making any money with it or gaining anything else through this. I do not own anything related to the british television show Doctor Who. All rights belong to the BBC.
> 
> For this fanfiction only events from the TV show (Classic and New Who) are taken as canon. References to comics, audiobooks or novels may occur.
> 
> Warning: I'm no native English speaker. Not Beta read. There will be some mistakes. Potential beta readers please message me.
> 
> Copyright: (CC) BY-NC-ND

It happened without any warning. He had no idea why it happened or how but suddenly it was there - and absolutely undeniable. It took only a second. The short time between two heartbeats. Not more. Not less.

In one moment she was his dearest friend. She threw her thin arms around his neck to pull him closer into a bone crushing hug. She was quite small and had to jump to reach his neck. Of course he was prepared for that. That's how she always hugged him. His own movements seemed more like a reflex than an active reaction. His long lanky arms wrapped themselfes around her tiny waist and he held her up for a couple of seconds before he put her down on her feet again.

But they didn't pull apart. Not yet. They would linger just a little longer, like always. He had a big smile on his lips that mirrored hers. He burried his face in the crock of her neck, closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose.

She was smelling so familiar. Good. Like Calla Lilies mixed with the salty smell of the ocean and something specific. Something very specific but he couldn't put a name on it. And that came from a multiple hundred year old alien that also happened to travel through time and space. It was something he never had smelled anywhere before besides on her. The Clara smell, he decided to call it.

His right heart just finished its beat when it was happening. It was like a shock. In one moment it didn't exist and in the next one it was like there existed nothing else for him. Before his left heart could pick up the beat that always followed the right one, he knew. He was in love with Clara Oswald.

The Doctor opened his green eyes and pressed her tiny body closer to his own before he finally released her. His expression had changed from a joyful one to a mix of shock, confusion and admiration. Clara didn't notice or think much of this change however, as she was still smiling brightly up at him. Her big brown eyes were glistening and looking into his own.

'See you soon?' She asked hopefully. The Doctor had to blink a couple of times before he answered, 'Uhm, yes....eh, yes of course! See you soon! Goodbye, Clara!'

He twirled around and almost tripped when he turned back to the TARDIS console. His eyes were fixed on the displays infront of him. This time Clara seemed to get that something was different.

'O-okay,' she said slowley. 'Bye then.'

He only looked up for a second and waved quickly.

'Bye.'

'Alright,' whispered Clara before backing away and vanishing through the door. Only when the TARDIS doors had clicked behind her the Doctor dared to look up again. He pressed his lips against each other while watching the door.

Suddenly he closed his eyes and started hitting his head with his hands. 'Stupid stupid stupid Doctor,' he mumbled to himself. He sighed and slowly dropped his right hand while his left was still buried in his hair.

He didn't understand. What was going on? He didn't like this. Not the feelings. No. These feelings were amazing. Actually, they made him feel better than he had felt in decades. Centuries even! Not since Amy and Rory. Not since River...

No, what he didn't like was that this was new. This was unknown. And as much as he loved exactly these things - he didn't like it when it came to himself. Not one bit.

He had loved before. But it had never felt like this. Not with his first wife, not with Rose, not with River. And he had loved them. He still loved them so much just thinking about them hurt him so horribly that it was almost unbearable. And if that wasn't proof enough, then what else was?

But Clara - she felt different. They all had felt different to him. Nobody was like the other. Rose had been like a safe haven. And River...oh River, she had been like a roller coaster. The most thrilling roller coaster in the universe. Very similar to those on the planet Faryvally and the Faryvallians were famous for their adrenalin addiction.

Clara on the other hand... He didn't know, if it was because it was still new and he wasn't used to it yet but Clara felt, well, intense.

He had only known he loved her for a short time - literally just a couple of minutes! - but it was already like his sense of gravity had changed. Instead of getting pulled to the ground beneath his feet it was like he got pulled towards her. Like something inside him wanted to go after her and pull her into another embrace.

The Docter pulled a lever on the console and dropped his other hand while he sighed again. He had a grumpy expression on his face. 'I'm an over 1000 year old man acting like a teenager.'

Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. How was it even possible that feelings like that suddenly...just turned on? Like a light switch? Or did he have had these feelings before? But then what had triggered them? Why didn't he notice them before? Did he just ignore them? But how? And why were these feelings so intense all of the sudden? It all made no sense. He made no sense.

Holy Gallifrey, he needed a break. Vacation! The Doctor wasn't in the mood to deal with this complicated crap right now so he did what he can do best. He ran.

First to Delphon, where he didn't stay very long due to communication problems. After that to Grolon but the Doctor being the Docter almost immediately got into trouble and almost got beheaded by a giant. Then to Kalakiki, to Belannia II, to Polongus and to the Lost Moon of Poosh before it was lost.

Overall the Doctor ran for about a hundred years. At the beginning it was difficult. He missed her. Oh, he missed her so much. Everytime he saw something crazy or marvelous or just absolutely unbelievable he had turned around expecting her to stand right behind him. But she wasn't there.

He had been thinking about flying to earth so often but then he decided against it. He knew, he had to get rid of these feelings before he saw her again. Feelings like these weren't good, they were dangerous. When the Doctor loved, something awful was bound to happen. And he wouldn't let anything like that happen to his Clara. Wait- no! Not _his_ Clara. Just Clara! Nobody's Clara. She belonged to nobody. Especially not him.

Anyway, it looked like it worked. After 80 years of travelling alone he could finally be sure his feelings for her had disappeared and just to make sure he continued to travel for another 20 years. And after all this time he finally dared to go back.

He was excited. Finally he could see his best friend again! And this time she would mean nothing more to him than a best friend.

The TARDIS was landing in a little park close to Clara's home. For a last time he glanced at the mirror. The Doctor straightened his bow tie and ran his hand through his hair before he stepped outside.

_Ba-thumb-ba-thumb._

There she was. Already running towards him. She must have been close by and heard the TARDIS materializing.

_Ba-thumb-ba-thumb._

She was almost there. He could already see her bright smile. The Doctor smiled back, his eyes were fixed on her and only her. Just one look was enough.

_Ba-thumb._

One heartbeat - the blink of an eye - and all these feelings, that he had so carefully buried deep inside him came back.

_Ba-thumb._

'Doctor!' Said Clara and stopped infront of him. 'You are late. I didn't hear from you in almost three months!'

'Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm always late. Hello, Clara!' This time he just swallowed the god awful feelings for her and tried to act as normal as possible. _100 years for nothing_ , he thought bitterly. But he couldn't just leave her again. He couldn't just turn back now. Clara was his friend after all. She deserved more than that. Besides, none of this was her fault. He wouldn't let her suffer just because of his petty little feelings.

'But now you're here,' she stated happily. 'So, what did you plan for us this time?'

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors for her and let her walk in first but she didn't move. She just looked up at him. He winked at her. 'Whatever you want to do.'


	2. Ancient Disasters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Clara go on a trip to Ancient Rome but end up in Greece instead. Lucky for the people living there because recently people hear mysterious screams at night and only the Doctor and Clara can find out what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This is entirely fanfiction. I am doing this for fun and I am not making any money with it or gaining anything else through this. I do not own anything related to the british television show Doctor Who. All rights belong to the BBC.
> 
> Warning: I'm no native English speaker. Not Beta read. There will be some mistakes. Potential beta readers please message me.
> 
> Copyright: (CC) BY-NC-ND

The TARDIS was silent and empty. Nobody was inside or anywhere near. The beeping and groaning of the machines was the only quiet whisper that could be heard. The blue and green lights flickered before they began to shine even brighter than before. The dusty console. The empty halls and rooms. It was like nobody had been here in decades and yet, there were clothes spread all over the floor of a bedroom. Used plates stood by the sink in the kitchen. Mugs with a little rest of tea in them. The inside of the TARDIS was abandoned and full of life at the same time. Suddenly the doors openend. A laughing Clara and a slightly demolished Doctor stumbled in.

'What the heck was that?' Clara asked giggling. The Doctor, whose clothes were a mess and so was his hair, looked around frantically before pointing his sonic screw driver at the door to lock it behind them.

'That was Racella,' he answered while breathing heavily. 'Queen of the Caniankind of the planet Cania. And she certainly liked me a lot more then I was comfortable with. I forgot about that. Wouldn't have brought you here if I had remembered.' Quickly he made his way over to the console and typed in various coordinates. Clara was laughing loudly again.

'And what was she trying to do when she pulled out all of these...these tentacale things?' She continued to ask. 'Looked a lot like she was trying to get...you know, cuddly with you, if you know what I mean?'

The Doctor was very obviously embarrassed. He didn't look at Clara at all and his cheeks seemed a little pink tinted. Quietly and a littly grumpy he continued his explaination, 'That's how the Caniankind show affection. You know, like,' he made kissing noises, 'and stuff. They-they intervine their tentacles.'

At frist Clara looked confused but then relization hit her like a brick. Her eyes went big, her lips formed an O and she giggled again.

'Ha ha ha,' said the Doctor unamused. 'Very funny.'

'Awwww, come on Doctor!' Clara smiled and walked over to him. Sie wrapped her arms around him from behind, rested her head between his shoulder blades. 'Don't be mad at me. I'm sorry.'

The Doctor dropped his hands from the buttons and levers. His whole body tensed up when he felt Clara's small frame behind him. His heartbeats stuttered for a moment. Then he smiled. 'I should've introduced you to her brother. I bet he would have liked you.'

Now it was Clara's turn to say _Ha ha_. She let go of him and leaned against the console. 'I doubt that.'

'You're right,' mumbled the Doctor. 'You're way too bossy anyway.'

Clara pushed herself away from the console again and slowly walked towards the hallway that led to the bedrooms. 'You alway say that when you have no arguments left.'

'Because it is true!' The Doctor replied and started pushing buttons again.

'Whatever you say Chin-Boy,' Clara winked at him. The Docter grumbled something indistinguishable in reply to that. 'Anyway,' she continued. 'It was a long day. I'm gonna go and take a shower.' The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement and Clara left the control room.

His eyes lingered on her as he watched her leave. A small smile on his lips. The Doctor shook his head slightly thinking about her and what they went through together. Clara and the Doctor were traveling together for a couple of months now. Longer than normally but Clara didn't seem like she wanted to go back already. And it was not like the Doctor was complaining. He loved spending time with this feisty little woman.

During the last weeks the Doctor had started to accept his feelings for Clara. He had realized that this whole situation was something he couldn't get rid of that easily. So, all that was left for him to do was loving her in silence and admiring her from afar while dreading the day she would tell him that she wanted to leave. Forever. But her leaving him and building up a life without him was better than the alternative. The alternative would be that she - that she...

He couldn't even think it. The thought made him sick, so he quickly tried to think about something else. So he thought about where they could go next. And had a brilliant idea!

His eyes went big and his expression changed into a grin.

'Clara!' He screamed excited and almost tripped when he ran towards the bedrooms. He soon found her bedroom door and openend it without knocking. Clara, who was currently drying her hair with a towel, jumped and only relaxed when she remembered that she was wearing a bathrobe.

'Doctor!' Clara exclaimed angry. 'What are you doing? Never learned how to knock?'

'Takes too much time,' the Doctor explained quickly. He grabbed Clara's still slightly damp hands. _Such small hands and so soft...Doctor concentrate!_

'What would you say, if we visitited Senator Incitatus of Rome?' The Doctor asked. 'And the best part is: he's a horse! The senator is a horse!'

'Doctor-,' Clara interrupted but the Doctor talked over her.

'I always wanted to vistit that time but it was never in my top ten so I always delayed it but now could be the perfect opportunity!'

'Doctor!'

'And I think I've still got some clothes from the time. Or well, not exactly that time but Pompeii or Rome doesn't matter that much-'

'DOCTOR!' Clara ripped her hands out of his grip. That irritated him for a second and the Doctor just looked at his empty hands before he looked up at Clara with a questioning look. She smiled at him and rested her right hand on his cheek to show him that she didn't mean to sound mad.

'That sounds absolutely perfect but not today, okay?' She asked him. 'I'm really tired. I can barely keep my eyes open. But tomorrow we can go and visit Rome, alsight?'

The Doctor laid his hand on top of hers. 'Okay. Good Night, Clara.'

'Good Night, Dotor.'

# ***

The next day came quick. The Doctor was already pushing buttons on the console when Clara walked in. She had already dressed up for their trip. She was wearing a tunic and had her hair up in a neat bun with some curls framing her face.

'Awww,' said Clara as she walked up to him. 'And I was so looking forward to seeing you in a toga.' The Doctor looked down on himself. He was wearing his usual attire including the infamous bow tie.

'Nah. I don't use costumes unless I have to,' he replied. 'But I did war a toga once! But then I had to wipe out the whole timeline, so it technically never happened. Oh well, you can't really say timeline because time was broken at that point but whatever. Hey, that reminds me, I got married during that time. Now that the whole thing was wiped out of existence and it never happened, does that mean I never got married?'

'Doctor!' Clara interrupted. 'Just admit that you're a killjoy.'

'I'm not a killjoy!' The Doctor exclaimed. 'I'm fun! I'm the most fun person you'll ever meet!'

'Of course you are,' she smiled. 'Ready for the Romans?'

'I was born ready!' He claimed.

'Great, when will we be there?'

The Doctor pulled a lever. 'Riiiiiight...'

The TARDIS started shaking. Clara tried to grab the railing but missed and fell down. 'Doctor!'

Before she reached the ground the Doctor grabbed her by the tunic and pulled her back up on her feet. Clara startet gripping to the next thing she could reach: the console. Suddenly the shaking stopped.

'Now!' The Doctor finished his sentence when he had landed the TARDIS safely. Clara glared at him but didn't make any comment on the sudden shaking. Instead she thanked him for saving her from falling and the alien man nodded.

'Let's get out there!' He exclaimed afterwards and jogged towards the door, Clara close behind him. With one strong push he opened the door and stepped outside. 'Welcome to...'

The smell of the air was wrong. _Something isn't right_ , was the first thought that shot through his head.

'Doctor, what is it?' asked Clara concerned. She tried to look over his shoulder but that was doomed to fail.

'This isn't right,' he said irritated. 'This isn't Rome.' He made weird sounds with his mouth and movements like he was tasting the air. 'This isn't even the right year. We are roughly a hundred years too early!'

Meanwhile Clara had managed to squeeze past him and outside of the TARDIS. She looked around in confusion. 'What do you mean this isn't Rome? Everyone is wearing tunics. Looks like Rome to me.'

Clara was correct. The Tardis stood in a little alley in an ancient city. Only a few feet infront of them the ally merged into a bigger street. Many people walked past but didn't seem to notice them. They were all wearing white and beige clothes, only a few wore colours like red, blue or purple. There seemed to be a market on the street before them.

It was very warm and sunny and the sky was clear and baby blue today. They definitely were somewhere more south than England. She was standing in the shadow of the buildings around her but she still felt her clothes already sticking to her skin. Clara could smell dry dusk with a little tint of ocean. The sea must be near by.

'This isn't Rome. We are in Greece!' Said the Doctor as he stepped away from the TARDIS to scan the enviornment with his sonic screwdriver. Something must have gone incredibly wrong. Did he type in the wrong coordinates? No definitely not. The TARDIS must have brought them here on its own. The stupid old thing.

'Greece?' Clara raised an eyebrow. 'Why are we in Greece?'

'I don't know,' he admitted. 'The TARDIS must've made a mistake.' Clara sighed and moved a curl out of her face before she put her hands on her hips and shrugged. Great. She didn't understood why the Doctor was so attached to his TARDIS even though she was so unreliable. But then again, it was not like he could just get a new one. 'And what are we going to do now?' She asked. 'Try again?'

The Doctor looked at her disappointed. 'Clara, do you really know so little of me? I don't just walk away from an adventure.'

'Adventure?' Clara questioned. 'Your adventures usually don't work out that well.'

The Doctor frowned and looked at her almost offended. 'What do you mean by that?'

Clara took a deep breath. 'Everytime you go on one of your little adventures something dangerous happens. It's almost like you're attracting trouble like a magnet. And I don't have time for this right now. I've got kids at home that I need to take care of.' She was refering to Angie and Artie Maitland. They recently had discovered that Clara and "her boyfriend" like they liked to call the Docter were going on time travel trips now and then. That reminded her, that she still owned them a trip. But the Doctor didn't know that yet.

'That's not true!' The Doctor said but then he frowned again. 'Or, well, I wouldn't say it happens _everytime..._ Anyway, let's go explore!' Before Clara could react he had already grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the ally into the open street.

Suddenly the sunlight hit them and Clara was blinded for a short moment after they had stepped out of the shadow. The voices of the people around her were louder than before. Even though they spoke Greek Clara could undersstand them without any problems. Thanks to the TARDIS's translation circuit.

'Doctor, I thought this would be a fun little trip?' Clara pouted but didn't protest when the Doctor pulled her through the masses of people.

'Who says it won't be? I can find the fun in any place. I'm like a fun bloodhound!' The Doctor's expression changed for a second like he had just bitten into a lemon before he corrected, 'No, that's not right. I'm the Doctor. Now, come on, Clara!'

'I say so,' Clara clarified. 'I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about this.'

Suddenly the Doctor stopped. Clara was so surprised that she ran into him. She looked up at the young looking man with confusion in her big brown eyes. He turned around and looked with a sort of seriousness at her but Clara wasn't fooled by that. She saw that smile that was tugging on his lips.

'Clara Oswald,' he said. 'Did you lose your _bite?'_

Clara squinted her eyes at him and pulled her hand out of his grip. 'Never!'

'Then let's go!' He exclaimed and they ran down the street.

Well, "ran" didn't really fit. It was more like being stuck in traffic actually, given that it was kinda difficult to quickly move forward with all these people walking around.

'Doctor...,' Clara complained. 'It's so hot. We need to get out of this crowd.' She examined his apperance and gave him a funny look. 'Are you not sweating?'

'No,' he answered simply. 'Time Lords don't have perspiratory glands. We compensate extrem heat and rising body temperature through heating up the air in our lungs and then breathing out the heat.'

Clara's eyes went big. 'Really?'

'No, I'm sweating just like you,' the Doctor said smiling down at the Brunette. 'But I got you there for a second.'

Clara glared at him but smiled nonetheless. Eventually they found a way out of this horrible smelling and sweating crowd.

They stood on a little hill and looked down on the busy street. The Doctor's expression suddenly lit up, while he was stripping off his jacket to reveal more of the waistcoat underneath. Clara didn't understand how he could walk around like that. Not only here in the heat but always. He looked like a kid that was dressing up as a grandpa. 'Now I know where we are exactly!' His jacket fell down to the ground. The Doctor didn't care.

'And that is?' Asked Clara and looked up at him.

'Thebes!'

'Thebes?'

'Ancient Greek city,' the Doctor explained. 'Played a big role in the Greek myths. Apparently Dionysos' mother was the princess of Thebes. But I can tell you for sure that is not true.'

'Because the Greek myths are not true?' Clara guessed.

'No, because I'm Dionysos,' the Doctor said quite proudly. It was obvious he wanted to impress her. Typical. 'A younger version of me came to Thebes once and they started to worship me like a god. And after we threw the party of the century they started to think that I must be the son of Zeus. The TARDIS might have made some sounds like thunder.'

Clara laughed. 'Does that mean people will recognize you as a god?'

He shook his head. 'No no. All of that happened really long ago and I had a completely different face at the time. Besides that nobody who saw me back then should still be alive...'

He was talking but his attention was already occupied by something else.

'Doctor?' Clara asked but he ignored her. Instead he walked away. Clara followed him and saw where he was headed. A little boy, maybe 10 years, sat in the grass not far from them. His beige clothes were a little green from the grass beneath him and he was crying. The Doctor could never ignore a crying child.

'Hello,' he said friendly and sat down next to the boy. He stopped crying for a moment and looked up at the strange man in question. He wiped his cheeks with the cloth of his tunic. 'Who are you?'

'I'm the Doctor. And that's my friend Clara,' he answered. Clara smiled at the boy and sat down next to the both of them. 'Who are you?'

'My name is Nestor.' The boy looked at the Doctor funnily. 'What kind of doctor are you?'

'I'm a very special kind,' the man in the bow tie replied. 'Now tell me, Nestor, why are you crying?' The boy moved a little bit away from them. He clearly didn't want to talk about it, so Clara tried to build a connection.

'You can trust us, Nestor,' she said, smiling warmly at him. 'Whatever it is you can tell us. I'm sure we can help.' But the boy shook his head. 'No, nobody can help me.'

'Why don't you try telling us and then we see, hm? How does that sound?' The Doctor tried to persuade him but the boy stayed silent. 'Come on,' the Doctor tried further. 'You can trust me. I'm a doctor after all. If I can't hel who can?'

The boy didn't seem fully convinced but luckily he talked to them anyway. 'It's because of my mother.'

'What about your mother?' Clara asked worried.

'She got taken away by them,' Nestor answered.

 _'Them?'_ The Doctor asked. You could hear the curiosity in his voice. 'Who are _them?'_

Nestor looked at the time travelers confused. 'You must be joking. You don't know about _them?'_

'We aren't from around here,' the Doctor explained.

'You are travelers?' The boy asked surprised. 'You didn't hear that the people of Thebes were blessed by the Gods?'

'What do you mean with "blessed by the Gods"?' Clara asked irritated. Nestor looked at her and his blue eys looked her up and down as if he wanted to check whether she was serious or not.

'One of the Gods decided to settle here in Thebes and bless the people with his glory,' Nestor explained. 'He's got a whole temple in the city. His priests sometimes chose special people to work at the temple.'

'And your mother was one of the chosen ones?' The Dcotor asked but he already knew the answer. Nestor nodded. 'Yes. It is a great honor to be chosen by the priests of Thanatos.'

'Then why are you crying?' The Doctor asked further. 'Shouldn't you be happy, if it's such an honor?'

Nestor's lower lip trembled slightly when he answered, 'Because those who have been given the honor of serving the God are not allowed to leave the temple ever again.'

'And why don't you just go visit her?' Clara suggested.

Nestor shook his head. 'Because ordinary people like me are not allowed to enter the temple. The priests are very serious about that.'

The Doctor nodded. Clara knew that he was thinking something but she couldn't figure out what it might was. Then the Doctor asked, 'And can you tell me what God decided to bless the people of Thebes?'

Nestor looked at them for a long time before he answered.

'Thanatos, the God of Death.'

# ***

'We are going to investigate, right?' Clara asked the Doctor. They stood a little off from where the boy sat. Both were talking with hushed voices.

'Of course we are!'He said. 'Did you ever see me walk away from a mystery?'

Clara smiled. 'Just wanted to make sure. Do you think we can bring his mother back?'

He looked over at the boy. Concern was prominent in his old eyes. 'I don't know. Let's hope they really only make her work. But I don't know if that's only a lie they tell the population. They could experiement on her or she's already dead. It's impossible to know at this point.'

'You think,' Clara started, 'this god - Thanatos - he's an alien, right?'

The Time Lord nodded. 'The Ancient Greeks were scared of death. They worshipped life and youth so obviously they weren't really fond of the end. For them to worship a death god... he must've done something horrible to them. Or twisted their thoughts or something like that. I don't have enough information to tell yet.'

Clara bit her lip deep in thought. This didn't sound good. Not good at all. But for some reason she wasn't worried. No, she was excited. The Doctor had to be contagious.

'Nestor?' The Doctor suddenly called and the boy walked over to them. 'Yes?'

'Can you show us where Thanatos' temple is?'

Nestor nodded and started leading them to the center of the city. Clara and the Doctor walked after him. 'But Doctor,' she said. 'He said, ordinary people can't enter the temple.'

'But we aren't ordinary people, Miss Oswald.' The Doctor smiled at her and Clara smiled back She walked next to him arm in arm. It was still hot but she didn't mind the close body contact one bit.

The Doctor's smile imperceptible deepened.

Nestor was leading them through many crowds. Clara was glad that the Doctor hold tight onto her arm, otherwise they might have lost each other between all these people. They almost lost the boy.

'Not so fast, Nestor!' She said. 'We'll lose you otherwise.'

'Why do you want to go to the temple anyway?' Nestor asked them. 'It's not like you can enter it. It's strictly forbidden for anyone who wasn't chosen!'

'We aren't allowed to enter but we can still investigate the outer walls!' The Doctor explained matter-of-factly.

'Investigate?' The boy asked confused. For the first time he took a closer look at the Doctor's clothes. 'You two are quite odd.'

'Really?' Clara questioned. 'Never noticed.' The alien and the girl exchanged a knowing look.

'Like I said,' Nestor looked at them. 'Odd.' He continued to lead them to the temple of Thanatos. It took some time and Clara's feet started to hurt but they finally reached their destination. The temple was impressive.

It was by far the most magnificent building in the whole city. It was made out of white and black marble and two big fires lined the entrance staircase. The temple was decorated with palm branches and glorious flowers. Completely different from what someone would imagine the temple of death to look like. Clara picked up a pink flower that was lying on the ground. It probably fell off of one of the bouquets. She stuck it in her hair above her right ear. That's what she always did as a little girl. The memory made her smile a little.

Her forehead was covered in sweat. Even more now that they stood so close to open fire.

'That's the temple of Thanatos?' Asked the Doctor and promptly pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his back pocket. Nestor jumped back.

'What is that?'

'Errr...' The alien was thinking about a good answer. 'It's an instrument I use to... err... examine stuff.' He walked around the walls and the staircase of the temple all while pointing his screwdriver at it.

'And?' Clara asked when he came back. He looked irritated and concerned, which in return conerned her.

'Nestor?' The boy stepped closer and the Doctor came down to his level to speak with him. 'How long ago did Thanatos decide to bless the people with his presence?'

'I don't really know,' he replied. 'Maybe a fortnight ago?'

'And the people of Thebes built this temple to honor the God?'

Nestor nodded.

'But that's not possible,' Clara interrupted their conversation. 'Nobody can build a building as big as this in only fourteen days. Especially not at this point in time.'

The Doctor grinned and pointed a finger at her. 'Exactly! So, where did the temple come from? And what is really living inside?'

'What are you two talking about?' Nestor frowned. 'This is the temple of the God. Why did you want me to bring you here?'

The Doctor sighed and put his hands on Nestor's shoulders. 'Clara and I are going to bring your mother back to you.'

'Really?' The boy's eyes gleamed with happiness but then he remembered. 'But that's impossible. The chosen ones can't escape temple!'

'Escape?' The Doctor listened up upon hearing that word. 'Before, you talked about honor. Now you're saying escape like they need to run from something. Why?' The boy swallowed. He was very uncomfortable. 'There are stories. Things people whisper to each other but no one dares to speak out about.'

'What kind of stories?' Clara asked with a soft voice. 'Tell us. We just want to help.'

'The people say, that they can hear voices at night,' the boy explained. 'Voices from the temple.'

'What do the voices say, Nestor?' The Doctor asked. His voice sounded tense.

'They aren't saying anything,' he admitted. 'They are just screaming.'

A shiver ran down Clara's spine. Both, the Doctor and her, first looked at each other and then up at the temple. Suddenly it looked so much darker and scarier than before.

'Doctor,' she said but he ignored her. He just walked up the stairs.

'Doctor! What are you doing?' Clara called after him.

'You can't just walk in there!' Nestor screamed nervously. But the man didn't react. He just kept walking. Clara tuned to Nestor. 'Stay here and wait.' Then she ran after the mad man.

They reached the top of the stairs. 'Doctor, what are you doing?' Clara repeated slightly more anxious than before.

'What does it look like?' He knocked on the big and heavy temple doors. 'You said, I should learn how to knock.'

It didn't take long until the doors started moving. They were slowly being opened. A man with dark skin but a white painted skull on his face opened the door.

'Begone, impure souls!' He shouted at them and the Doctor and Clara took a step back in surprise. 'This is no house of the ordinary people!'

'Like I already explained to my dear friend: we are no ordinary people,' the space man simply explained and just squeezed past the man with the face paint.

'Sorry,' Clara apologized and promptly did the same. From the inside the temple was just as glorious as from the outside. The marble was decorated with gold and flowers. Open fires burned in every corner of the room. They were standing in some kind of entrance hall. Infront of them another big door but this one was made out of pure gold. It was incredible hot just like outside and it smelled even worse than on the streets. Clara had to cover her nose with one hand and she pulled a face. It smelled like sweat and...well, other body odors. Even the Doctor, who was used to unusual smells, pulled a face of disgust. As beautiful as everything looked, the smell of the place showed how disturbing it really was.

'You can't just get in here!' Shouted the man. 'This is the holy palace of God Thanatos!'

The Doctor twirled around to him and smiled. 'Good that you mention him. We'd like to meet Mr Thanatos.'

'Meet...Thanatos?' The priest looked almost ill.

'You!' Said another voice suddenly. Clara and the Doctor jumped and turned around to see a priestess with the same face paint as the man but her robes were pitch black, while the man's robes were white. 'Priest!'

The man fell to his knees. 'High Priestess!"

'Why are these impure souls in the temple of Thanatos?'

 _'Impure souls,'_ the Doctor mocked and turned to Clara. 'I'm slowly starting to feel insulted.' Then he stepped towards the High Priestess. 'Hello, nice to meet you! This is my friend Clara and I'm the Doctor...,' he started to pat along his pockets like he was searching for something. 'And I forgot my psychic paper. But anyway! We would like to speak to God Thanatos.'

'I apologize, High Priestess,' interrupted the priest before anyone else could talk. 'I am so sorry. I should have never let them in! Please punish me!' The High Priestess didn't answer. She was too busy starring at Clara. It started to make her feel uncomfortable. 'Uhm...hello?'

'Do not apologize, Priest,' said the High Priestess with a big smile. She was still staring at Clara. 'Did you not see it? You brought the Queen of the Underworld to us. You brought Persephone to us to reign alongside the Lord of Death!'

Clara had to blink a couple of times out of surprise. She looked over at the Doctor but he looked just as surprised as her. 'Excuse me, Perse-what?'

'Persephone, of course!' The Doctor suddenly exclaimed and reached out his hand to take the flower out of Clara's hair. He twisted it between his fingers. 'Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, Wife of Hades, Lady of the Dead and Goddess of Spring. Obviously! They think you're her!'

'Great. Errm...' She pressed her lips together for a moment. 'Why do they do that?'

The Doctor shrugged. 'The Greeks were very easily impressed. All you need is something that's associated with a god and a pretty face and suddenly surprise! You're a god! The Romans needed a lot more proof than that.'

Clara smiled devilishly up at him. 'A pretty face, huh?'

He rolled his eyes. 'Oh, shut up!' He acted cool on the outside but on the inside he was squirming. He said too much. And although he wouldn't let his embarrassment get the better of him, he was still scared what he might had revealed.

But obviously Clara didn't notice the Doctor's unease. 'Does that mean, you think I'm pretty?'

_Yes!_

'Pfft,' he looked grumpily to the side to avoid looking at her eyes. These eyes, which always knew too much about what was really going on. 'As if!'

'Enough!' Said the High Priestess to the Doctor. Then she smiled at Clara and bowed deeply. 'Mistress Persephone, please follow me to the throne room where Thanatos is already waiting for you.'

Clara was rather confused by now and asked the Doctor, 'I thought she was Hades wife? Why are they trying to get me with Thanatos?'

'What does it matter? They want to bring us to him. That's what we wanted,' he said excitedly. 'But yeah...uhhh... Thanatos was something like Hades commander-in-chief. They probably want you to be some kind of substitute for your husband.'

'Great.'

Suddenly the High Priestess was sick of waiting and grabbed Clara's arm to pull her towards the big golden door. 'Hey!' She protested. 'I'm only going if the Doctor comes with me.'

'So be it,' the High Priestess said and immediately the male priest grabbed the Doctor by his shoulder.

'Ouch!,' he cried out. 'Not so rough! I'm an old man!' Then he continued to talk to Clara, 'Did you notice what is wrong?'

'Something is wrong?' She asked in confusion and looked around. Then it hit her. 'Where are all the people? They took people to work for them but there are no workers.'

He nodded. 'Where are the workers? Why can we smell the sweat of hundreds of people, even though only uns four,' he pointed at himself, Clara and the priests, 'are here? And most importantly, why can't the people, who walk in ever get out?'

Despite the heat Clara shivered. She didn't want to imagine what might've happened to all these poor people. They stepped through the big golden door into a bigger room. It was decorated similar to the entrance hall but in this room was a podium in the center. On the podium stood a big golden throne in which sat a man.

He was wearing a pitch black toga and looked like he was in his early 40's or late 30's. He had bright blue eyes, brown-blond hair and a beard. He stood up when they walked in.

"Who are you?" He asked with a deep raspy voice.

"Master," the High Priestess started. "We brought to you the Queen, Persephone. And her...err...servant." Clara giggled upon seeing the expression on the Doctor's face when he heard the word "servant".

 _'Servant?'_ He asked. 'How come you think I'm her _servant?'_

'Servant, shut up!' Clara whispered and to her surprise he actually did, although he still looked displeased.

'How often do I have to tell you,' the man in the black toga said annoyed. 'Do not call me Master. I'm not your master. I'm not your god. Why can't you let me go?'

Clara looked at the Doctor in surprise. He seemed just as baffled by these news as her. Of course they knew that Thanatos couldn't be a real god but neither of them had expected that he would just openly admitt it. Or even be bothered by the fact that he was worshipped.

'You are not?' The Doctor asked the man. 'We thought you were Thanatos, the God of Death?'

The man's piercing blue eyes fixated the Time Lord. He took a deep breath and then commanded his servants, 'Leave us alone! I wish to speak to them alone!' His priests bowed and afterwards quickly left the room. As soon as the door fell shut the man ran towards the Doctor and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

'Please, you need to help me!' He begged and shook him slightly while doing so. The Doctor looked quite startled by this action. 'I can smell the space on you. I know you are like me! I'm stuck here for two weeks and they won't let me go!'

It was a rather funny image. A big muscular guy with biceps as big as Clara's head was looking at the skinny and lanky Doctor with puppy eyes, begging him to help him.

'What are you?' Was all the Doctor asked after he had kindly told the man to let go of him.

'I'm a Thanatin,' the man explained. 'From the planet Thana. My name is Thanatos.'

The Doctor and Clara exchanged another look. 'Ahh,' said Clara then. 'That explains the confusion.'

'Thana?' The Doctor asked, talking more to himself than the others. He sounded slightly suspicious. 'Thanatins? I never heard of this species before. And I'm proud to say that I know almost every species in the universe.'

'That's because we're still rather new,' explained Thanatos. 'Only a couple of centuries ago a few hundred meta-human shapeshifters escaped a science instutute on Kylos, where they were experimented on and made to what they were. They fleed to the uninhabited planet of Thana and decided to call themselves the Thanatins.'

The Doctor nodded slowly.

'And how did you end up here?' Asked Clara suddenly. Thanatos eyes darted to her.

'I'm a merchant,' he explained, 'I was about to make my way to an intergalatctic trade market when my ship crashed and landed about a mile from this city. I came here to find help just to discover that this planet isn't far enough developed to help me. I told them my name and suddenly they started to worship me and build this temple for me. Ever since they locked me in here and I can't get out.'

'Are you sure they built this temple after you came here?' The Doctor asked. Thanatos looked confused. 'Yes...no...I'm not sure. But I think so.' The Doctor just nodded again.

'How come you can't escape?' Clara asked. 'You're a smart, strong alien and these are just simple humans. You would think it's easy for you to trick them.' But Thanatos shook his head. 'They are surprisingly careful when it comes to keeping me here. Besides, I'm just a merchant. I know how to trade but that's it. And I don't want to hurt them.'

Clara smiled at the man. He looked so helpless, she felt sympathy for him. There had to be some way to help him.

'Did you hear anything about temple workers?' Theother man asked him all of the sudden while pulling out his sonic screwdriver to scan the room.

'Uhm...no. There are only a couple of priests around here but no workers. Why?'

'Because that's why Clara and I are here,' the Doctor explained and quickly added. 'Oh, we forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm the Doctor and this is Clara.'

'Doctor?' Thanatos asked. 'Doctor who?'

The Doctor grabbed Clara's arm in excitement and smiled brightly. 'I love it when they say that!'

'Doctor concentrate, please!' She reminded him. 'Oh yes, right! The missing workers,' he remembered. 'Outside we met a little boy. He told us that your priests take people to this temple. But the thing is, that they never come out again.' The Doctor stepped closer to Thanatos and looked directly into his eyes. 'You don't know anything about that by any chance?'

Thanatos didn't break eye contact while answereing, 'No, nothing.' The Doctor turned away but then the man continued, 'But there are catacombs beneath the temple. I was never down there but maybe you can find some clues.'

The Doctor twirled around in excitement. 'Catacombs? Catacombs sound great! Were they build simultaneously with the temple?'

Thanatos shrugged. 'I don't know. Could be. But they could be older too.'

'Alrighty!' The man in the bow tie ran towards the exit and Clara followed. But before they left the room the Doctor stopped dead in his tracks. She almost ran into him. _Again_. This man really needed to stop doing this.

'I'm going alone,' he said to her as he turned around. _What?_

'I don't understand.' Clara looked up at him. 'I always come with you, if something happens.'

'But not today,' he told her. He was serious. All the fun and playfulness had left his eyes. He was dead serious right now. Clara didn't dare to protest but she still asked, 'Why?'

'I've got a feeling,' he explained with a look at Thanatos. 'I need you here to keep an eye on our new friend. I smell something fishy.'

'I'm pretty sure what you're smelling is sweat,' Clara noted.

'Exactly.'

And with that last, confusing statement he left the golden throne room. Clara turned back to Thanatos, who was watching her closely.

# ***

'Excuse me,' the Doctor called a temple priest. He couldn't really tell because of the face paint but he guessed that it was the same guy as before because he looked so frightened when he saw the old alien man.

'Y-yes?'

'Can you show me the catacombs?' The Doctor rubbed his hands in anticipation.

The priest shook his head. 'The High Priestess strictly forbid-'

'The God Thanatos allowed me to see them,' he interrupted quickly. 'He wishes, that I inspect the catacombs.'

He still looked unsure but then the priest nodded. 'W-well, please follow me.' The Doctor smiled and folded his hands behind his back. This worked out better than he had expected. After he forgot his psychic paper in his jacket on the hill he had been thinking this whole investigation would go a lot less smooth. But this seemed to go effortlessly. It was almost a little too easy.

His sixth sense was tingling. Something would happen. He could feel it. But first, he had to concentrate on the missing people.

The priest showed him the way to a door that was hidden in the golden ornaments, that were covering the temple walls. These walls...they weren't quite right. Earlier when he scanned them with his screwdriver it had showen him the most ridiculous results. They didn't make any sense. But they confirmed one thing for him: these walls weren't made out of marble. They were just made to look like them. _Probably a perception filter,_ the Doctor mused. The walls must have been made out of some alien material. But the most interesting about the temple was that it was _organic._

A living temple! It was absolutely impossible that humans built this place. Thanatos hid something from them, which made it very obvious that he wasn't what he said he was. That's why the Doctor had left Clara with him. He trusted her instincts and was sure, that she would find a way to keep Thanatos here in the temple, if he wanted to escape. But as much as it soothed him to think about Clara he didn't have the time right now.

'The catacombs,' the priest said and gestured towards the door. The Doctor raised his almost invisible eyebrows in surprise. 'Are you not coming with me?'

The priest shook his head. 'If you allow I rather not. The catacombs are an uncanny place. But there is a torch on the wall right after you go through the door. It will help you find your way.'

The Doctor nodded slowly and walked through the door. It fell shut behind him and robbed him of his last light source. Luckily Time Lord eyes could see better in the dark than ordinary human eyes. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to find the torch the priest had talked about. The Doctor dragged it quickly over the ground and it lit up. That's when he heard it. It was very soft but he identified it clearly as a moaning. A moaning that came from deep within the catacombs.

He moved quickly but carefully closer to where the sound was coming from. The ground was muddy and made slurping noises with every step. The man looked down. At the first glance it looked like any other mushy ground but when he looked at it a little closer he could clearly see the organic mass. The awful smell, that filled the whole temple, was more intense down here.

'The percepftion filter must wear off,' he mumbled to himself. 'Of course! The fires. They are everywhere except for here.'

_Ugggghhh...._

The moaning got louder. There were many people moaning. The Doctor could hear it now. His pace quickened. The smell of sweat and other body fluids became stronger with every step. He almost slipped a couple of times. And then he saw them.

The image that awaited him was utterly disgusting and grotesque. It was hard to make out but these were humans. Hundreds of them. Twisted and disfigured humans lying in a brew of their own blood, sweat and feces. Some were dead but most were still alive. Their bodies looked completely unnatural, almost like...like someone had press them into rectangular forms. Those still living had to be in horrible pain. The Doctor didn't dare to imagine how many broken bones, how many ripped muscles, organs or tendons...

In his over 1,200 years of living he had never seen something so brutal, so horrific or so inhuman. Whoever did this wasn't just a monster. They were beyond all evil. Highly sadistic, egocentric and cruel.

A whimper catched the Doctors attention. A human, a woman of maybe 20 years, was lying naked bruised and twisted to his feet.

Quickly he crouched down. 'Shhhhhh,' he whispered with tears in his eyes and started to gently stroke her hair. He was scared to hurt her. 'It's okay. It's alright.'

He knew it wasn't but he didn't know what else to say. What could he possibly say now?

'It's not...'

The Doctor looked down in surprise. Did she just...

'You can still talk?' He asked with surprise. 'What happened to you? Who did this?'

The woman opened her eyes. Her face was dirty with blood and mud and her eyes sticky but she could still open them. 'They told us we got chosen. That they had work for us,' she whimpered.

'I know, I know...,' the Doctor said gently. 'But who is responsible for your pain? Why are you like this?'

Her voice was almost inaudible. 'They brought us into a room. It was dark. And there they broke our bones. The hurt us. They twisted us. They said we needed to stay in shape. They punished us if we didn't. Hurt us more...' Tears were streaming down her cheeks and left traces in the dirt on her skin. By now the Doctor was crying too. The tears were sad, yes, but above anything all they were angry. Tears of anger and hatred. Who could do something like this? He had a feeling but he needed confirmation.

'Who did?' He asked quickly. He could feel her body weaken beneath his finger tips. 'Who hurt you?'

'It was him. The God,' her voice was shaking. 'The God hurt us. He was delighted by our pain.'

The Doctor felt like he couldn't breath. 'Did he do that...,' his voice broke, 'did he do that to all the people here?'

'More,' she whimpered. The woman was full on crying now. 'There were more.'

'Where are they?' The Doctor sounded hectic. 'Where are the others? You need to tell me!'

Her eyes fell shut again. 'Walls...'

'Walls?' He asked. 'Behind what walls are they?'

'No,' she said emphatically. 'They _are_ the walls. He made them out of human bricks.'

If he didn't feel sick before he did by now.

'Please promise me,' she whispered. Her time was almost up.

'What?' He asked and leaned closer down to her. But it was already too late.

The Doctor looked down on her lifeless body. At least her suffering was over now. He looked over all the other bodies. So many of them were still alive. Broken and in pain, abandoned and left to die. But he couldn't help them right now. So his thoughts focused on the person he needed to safe now.

_Clara!_

Meanwhile, Clara sat on the steps of the podium. Bored. She felt a little hurt that the Doctor had just left her here. Why didn't he want her to come with him? They always did these things together! The only thing he told her was to keep an eye out on Thanatos. But why?

'I'm sorry your friend left you with me,' he suddenly said. Clara looked up at the bulky man, who was sitting on his golden throne. He looked just as bored as her. She flashed him a smile. 'It's fine. It isn't your fault.'

'Well, looked like it is though,' he said with a tired smile. 'Your friend doesn't trust me. And I don't blame him.' Clara looked at him confused. 'Well, I do trust you. You are in the need of help.'

'Oh, so you and your boyfriend usually walk around and help those in need?' Thanatos asked.

'He's not my boyfriend,' she corrected. 'But yes, yes we do.'

'That is very honorable of you,' he mentioned.

'Hm,' thought Clara. ' I guess, it is. I never thought about it like that before.'

'How did you think about it?' He asked and stood up from his throne to sit down next to her.

'As kind,' she answered without having to think about it. All this time when they had been saving people she had never thought about honor or gratitude. She always thought they did it because it was kind and she was sure the Doctor thought the same.

'It's quite dangerous, you know,' Thanatos told her. She didn't understand. 'What is?'

'Trusting strangers,' he explained. 'I could have lied to you.'

'Well, did you lie to us?' Clara asked simply. Thanatos shrugged. 'Who knows? Your friend seems to think I did.'

'He makes mistakes too,' was all she said about the topic and afterwards continud to ask, 'Do you miss your home?'

'Sometimes,' Thanatos admitted. 'But I never stayed home long anyway. Most of the time I'm traveling.'

'We do too,' said Clara. 'But I really need to get back soon. I wasn't home in months.'

'Where are you from?'

'Earth,' she answered and when she saw Thanatos confused look she added, 'But not this time. I'm from the 21st century.'

'Time travelers?' He asked surprised. 'So your friend is human, too then?'

Clara shook her head and opened her mouth to explain but then suddenly the door opened and the Doctor rushed in. 'Clara! Get a way from him!'

'What?' she asked and stood up. 'Why?'

The Doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her as far away from Thanatos as possible. His grip was rather hard. That would leave bruises.

'Ouch! Hey! What are you doing?' She shouted at him angrily. 'What's wrong with-' She got cut off when he pulled her into a hug. Her face was pressen against his chest.

'Are you alright? Did he do something to you?'

'I'm fine,' she mumbled against the fabric of his shirt. His grip loosened and she was able to look up at him. When she saw his face her eyes widned. 'What did you see?'

His eyes searched her face for a couple of seconds. Then he shoved her behind him without answering her question. He glared at Thanatos. Clara didn't need to guess his feelings. The Doctor was furious. And Thanatos looked almost amused by all of this.

'What are you?' The Doctor asked slowly. 'I never heard of any creature that did...these things.'

'Exactly what I said,' Thanatos replied unimpressed. 'A Thanatin from the planet Thana. But to be fair the merchant part was made up.' Thanatos' whole body language had changed. He was standing up straight now. Proud like a lion. But at the same time he looked sly and cunning like a snake. His movements looked too fluent and easy. Like he was moving without any effort. His toga suddenly looked more like smoke than fabric and his skin seemed grey.

'Why did I never hear about your species before?' The Doctor asked still totally calm despite the fire that was burning in his eyes.

'You got me,' Thanatos admitted smiling. 'My story was a lie. You probably never heard about me because I'm the only one of my kind. And hey, I was never a fan of publicity. I'm a humble person.'

'Says the one that lets a whole town worship him,' reminded the Time Lord. Thanatos laughed. 'Touché.'

Then he sighed. 'I guess, you won't just leave me be after what you saw in the catacombs.'

The Doctor shook his head. 'I'm curious so tell me, why did you let me go down there in the first place?'

'Why shouldn't I?' Asked Thanatos. 'It's not like I'm hiding anything! Do you think I have an evil masterplan? Do you think I'm some kind of cartoon villain? I am not, Doctor. I'm just doing what I'm meant to do!'

'Doctor,' Clara interrupeted. 'What are you talking about? What did you see?'

'You are meant to kill and torture innocent people?' The Doctor screamed at his face. 'You are meant to twist their bodies so much that it's a surprise, if they are still alive? You are meant to build a temple out of human bricks?'

Clara didn't understand anything. 'Doctor, what are you talking about?'

He didn't look at her. He just pulled out his sonic screwdriver. 'Close your eyes,' he said softly. She frowned. 'But Doctor, why?'

'Please!' He begged her with an unusual firm voice. 'Just do it because I say so.'

She cloesed her eyes. Her hand gripped tight to his. She could hear the unmistakable sound of the screwdriver. Suddenly she heard something. It was loud and sounded like hundreds of moaning voices.

'This is what you're meant to do?' The Doctor asked Thanatos with repressed anger. 'It's in your nature to be sadistic and cruel?'

'Actually yes,' he answered calmly.

'Doctor what happened?' Clara asked desperately. 'Can I open my eyes again?'

'No!' He yelled suddenly and she jumped. What was going on?

'I feed off of people's pain,' Thanatos explained. 'The energy that gets released by creatures in pain...it's just...terrific. It's nourishing me and it's just so...ravishing!' He laughed at the end. Clara could hear the shiver of delightment in his voice when he talked. 'Doctor, I'm just doing what I'm meant to do. Can you really blame a creature for doing what it needs to survive?'

'Yes,' he answered. 'After what I saw, yes, I blame you for everything you did to these poor people. Even if you think you need to do horrible things you always have a choice. And you chose to do horrible things to them. Things I'd never dare to even say. And it was your choice. Yours alone!' This didn't sound like the Doctor Clara knew. What could he have possibly seen that made him say these things. He would never blame a creature for doing what it needed to survive.

'Doctor I want to see-'

'No you don't!' He interrupted her harsh. 'Listen to me for _once! Please!'_

Clara opened her eyes.

She had a hard time not to puke. 'Oh my god,' she whispered while holding her hands infront of her mouth. The Doctor turned around to her. 'Clara! I told you to keep your eyes shut!'

But she ignored him. She couldn't look away from the _walls._

Hundreds of people were pressed together. Their bodies were twisted to make sure that every niche was filled up and everything was insulated. But it wasn't only the people that looked so disgusting. They were covered in blood and sweat and feces. It was dripping from the walls. The disgusting smell was suddenly so much stronger, too. Like something had shielded her before. But this shield was gone now. Tears were forming in Clara's eyes.

'How can they still be alive?'

Thanatos eyes lit up like a little child's at Christmas. 'It's a very clever system. You know, there are pipes.'

'Pipes?' Clara repeated. She had almost no energy left to speak. The sight of this pain, this horror, was too much for her.

'Yes, pipes,' Thanatos agreed nodding. 'They get fed through them. It's a very special mix with enough nutrients to keep them alive. They also get sedation, which makes them unable to move but keeps them awake at the same time. Genius isn't it?'

'You're a monster!' Just looking at him disgusted her. And only a moment ago they had been talking like two completely normal people.

Thanatos was just as calm as before when he answered, 'You are not the first one to call me that and you won't be the last. I am a harvester. I harvest pain and this is my farm. I'm nothing more and nothing less than what I am.'

Thanatos' striking blue eyes looked at the both of them for a long time. Amusement was glistening in them. This was like a game for him, Clara realized. They were all just characters in his game and he could end it whenever he liked.

'Why are you telling us all of this?' Asked the Doctor.

'Like I already said,' explained Thanatos. 'I'm not a villain. I'm just me - Thanatos.'

'No,' corrected the Doctor. 'I got that. I mean, why bother? It should be clear by now that you care about nobody besides yourself. So why explain it to us?'

'Isn't it obvious?' Thanatos laughed again. It sounded shallow and dark. 'Currently I'm harvesting your pain, Doctor. Yours and Clara's. You feel pain seeing all these twisted humans and I'm feeding on it. I'm soaking it up like a sponge. I suck it out of the air. With every second you are in pain I just get stronger. And believe me Doctor, your pain is _ab-so-lute-ly_ delicious.'

Then he sighed and sat down on his throne. 'Anyway, you probably want to take this farm away from me, don't you? Always the hero even if it's completely hopeless. But honestly, I don't care. You can have it. I have thousand others spread across all of time and space. You'll never be able to rescue all of them.'

'How would you know?' Asked the Doctor. 'You don't know what I'm capable of.'

Thanatos smiled at him. 'I know more than enough, Time Lord. I was really surprised to see you here. I thought your people were extinct. You belong into a museum.'

'And you belong in a pocket universe. Looks like we both get disappointed.'

'Always so quick-witted. Do you come up with these beforehand?' Thanatos shook his head. 'Anyway, I need to go. It was nice meeting you two. I'm certain it won't be our last time. Good-bye!' In the next second he was gone. The Doctor ran towards the throne pointing his sonic at it.

'God damnit!' He yelled outraged. 'A teleporter in the throne. I should've known it!'

'Doctor...' Clara whispered.

'Now he's gone! I don't know if I'll be able to locate him. And even if I do who knows how many people he will kill until then!'

'Doctor,' Clara repeated louder and the Time Lord looked at her. His eyes immediately softened. He walked over to her and pulled her in a tight embrace.

'I'm sorry,' he mumbled into her hair. 'I shouldn't have yelled at you. But why didn't you just keep your eyes closed.'

'I'm sorry,' Clara mumured. 'Please, I need to get out of here.'

The Doctor nodded and quickly brought her out of the building. Clara didn't noticed much of what was going on around her. She was too busy focusing on the images in her mind. She would have nightmares for months. Vaguely she saw the priests running out of the temple made out of people and she saw the people on the streets screaming and running away. Nestor was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he ran away too or was hiding somewhere. Probably better this way.

The Doctor sat Clara down on a big stone and crouched down to look into her face. He gently cupped her cheeks with his hands. 'Clara?'

Her brown eyes looked deep into his green ones. Before he could say anything else she asked, 'Why didn't we see it before?'

'The fires were perception filters,' he explained. 'They made us see what we wanted to see and not what was really there. It also worked with the smell but not as good because eyes are a lot easier to fool. I destroyed the fires and everyone saw the reality.'

Clara nodded to show that she understood. 'You are going to kill all of them now, won't you? To end their suffering?'

The Doctor bit his lip. 'I don't know if I'm able to-'

'But you have to!' Clara said. 'You can't just let them continue to exist like this! Where all they know it pain! If you don't wanna kill them then save them! You're a Time Lord can't you just travel back in time?'

He shook his head softly. 'Clara, you know I can't-'

'But you need to do something!' She protested.

'I know,' he replied. Suddenly, his face lit up. 'I know! You are right! I'm a Time Lord!' He pressed a quick kiss on her forehead. 'Clara, you are brilliant!' He jumped to his feet.

'What are you thinking?' She asked irritated by his suuden mood shift.

'No time to explain!' He excused. 'Wait here!' And then he ran away.

It didn't take long until Clara saw the blue box flying through the sky. But something was weird. It looked like it was emitting a gold-orange light that fell down onto the "people temple". It was weird because the temple slowly seemed to melt until it was a big crowd of healthy people, who were still naked and dirty but alive and almost without any bruises.

The TARDIS landed next to Clara and the Doctor stepped out of it. He looked extremely exhausted but overall alright.

'What did you do?' She asked in awe. 'They are alive again.'

'That's not quite correct,' he intervened. 'Those who were already dead stayed dead. But I was able to help most of those, who were still alive.'

Clara was shocked. 'But _how?'_

'Regeneration energy,' he said simly. 'I gave them some of mine and spread it with the TARDIS over the temple.'

Clara frowned. 'Regeneration energy? Do you think it was smart to waste so much of it?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'No, but it was the right thing to do. Besides, I wouldn't call it a waste.' He smiled and winked at her.

'Do you think Thanatos was really only two weeks here?' She was afraid. If he was able to do all of this in just two weeks...

'No,' answered the Doctor and calmed Clara's thoughts. 'I highly doubt that. I think he was here for decades - at least! I guess he used some sort of mind control on the people of Thebes to make them think it was just two weeks. The same mind control he used on the priests to make them worship him. But anyway - I'm sick of ancient Greece by now. How about you?'

He smiled and reached a hand out to her. She took his hand and let him pull her into the TARDIS.

The little boy Nestor was smiling brightly as he looked up in the face of his mother. His eyes scanned the place and he discovered the blue box. He ran towards it when he saw the Doctor and Clara but before he could reach them they had already disappeared.

**Author's Note:**

> Cast:  
> Matt Smith as The Doctor  
> Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald  
> John Barrowman as Capt. Jack Harkness  
> Michelle Ryan as Christina de Souza  
> Tom Hardy as Thanatos


End file.
